Taboo for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble

From Wind Repertory Project
Julie Giroux

Julie Giroux


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General Info

Year: 2018
Duration: c. 14:00
Difficulty: V (solo and ensemble) (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Manuscript
Cost: Score and Parts - Unknown


Instrumentation

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Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Taboo is based on things which are forbidden. The first movement addresses forbidden loves. The opening and closing of movement one highlight solo flugelhorn and harp. The harp represents the strict life of the Japanese geisha, while the flugelhorn represents the forbidden love of a geisha for her clients. The harp is traditiona,l while the flugelhorn is free form and blue with jazz-like qualities. The middle sections express other types of forbidden love. The first movement highly contrasts with the second, not only thematically but also in the way it approaches the soloist. Its focus is less on a show of technique. It is meant to highlight the beauty of the instruments and expression by the soloist.

The second movement is a musical tour de force of forbidden places. The places visited in order are as follows:

  • Snake Island, Brazil, home to approximately 400,000 snakes living on a 110-acre island. It is illegal to go to the island. Currently, only very strict usage by scientists is permitted and requires the cooperation of the Brazilian Navy. It is considered to be the deadliest island on earth.
  • Disney Club 33, the ultimate and most highly exclusive Disney experience. Developed in the 1960s by Walt Disney himself, the club is an exclusive, by-invitation-only five-star restaurant and jazz bar named Le Salon Nouveau. The membership prices are steep and vary depending on the level of the membership.
  • Vaults of the Vatican, the Roman Catholic Vatican private library established by Pope Paul V in the 17th Century not viewable by common people. The vault was not open to outsiders until 1881 when Pope Leo XIII granted viewings to researchers to some of its archives. The viewing procedure is quite difficult, extremely guarded and limited, and has not changed much in the past 200 years. The library contains private letters, documents and notes including the letters from Mary, Queen of Scots, the Knights Templar trials from 1307, and notes from the 1633 trial against Galileo. The vaults are forbidden to all but the most credentialed scholars.
  • Picnic at Chernobyl is a lightly approached imaginary event where thrill seekers attempt to spend the day at the illegal nuclear disaster site of Pripyat, Ukraine. The 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl which to date has claimed hundreds of radiation-related deaths is strictly off limits and its scientific visitors are heavily screened.

The second movement of Taboo ends with an exciting flourish of unspecific forbidden site visitations. Its final phrase for the soloist does NOT have the typical high note ending. Being a brass player myself I have always disliked solo works that end in that fashion because you spend too much time worrying about the last note. I DID want to challenge the soloist in every way, but instead chose to make the last phrase a test to see just how long the soloist could play on a single breath.

- Program Note by composer


Media

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State Ratings

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Performances

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Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


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